DVD Shopping Bag: Batman The Brave and the Bold Season 2

Warner Brother’s is releasing the first part of their second season of Batman The Brave and the Bold. Why this part one and part two split is beyond me. The series is into its third season with new episodes already airing. Again, I would love to bitch about it not being on Blu-ray, but that would be redundant (see previous column).

I think the series is a lot of fun and has a broad appeal. Whether you are a younger (as in age) fan or an older fan (people who remember the 60’s TV show and stood in line at midnight for Burton’s 89 classic) Batman The Brave and the Bold has a lot to offer. I, for one, find myself in the later category. I grew up watching the old reruns of Adam West and Burt Ward running around as the Caped Crusaders. They were fun and changed the way I saw Batman. With Tim Burton ushering in a darker version of the character, (yes, I know Frank Miller really did it in the comics first) Batman had gone from pop hero to Dark Knight. Burton would turn out another brilliant film but it was Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett’s ground breaking series, Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995), which changed the character forever. It was a combination of storytelling, animation, and acting (kudos to Andrea Romano) that made this version of Batman the definitive one. With that being said, the definitive Batman is, without a doubt, Kevin Conroy.

This is not a knock or a criticism against Diedrich Bader’s Batman. In actuality, Bader is starting to grow on me. He is the perfect Batman in a series featuring a tongue cheek version of Green Arrow (James Arnold Taylor) and a perfect portrayal of Aquaman (John Di Maggio). Conroy just supplies that perfect pitch of cold decisiveness and unrelenting valor. If Batman would actually confront you on the street, his is the voice you would hear.

Season two part two is packed with great team ups and even a few flashbacks detailing Batman’s origin. “The Golden Age of Justice” features the JSA, the Black Canary and Batman’s early training (Batman is outfitted with long pointy ears and purple gloves). “Chill of the Night” is the origin of Batman and features none other than Adam West himself as Batman’s father Thomas. Not knowing this beforehand, I eagerly awaited Thomas Wayne to speak hoping it would be someone worthy of being Batman’s dad. It was and a long awaited moment as this Bat-fan knew West was originally asked to play Thomas Wayne in the 89 film but turned it down. I instantly reminded of West’s turn in 1992 series as the Grey Ghost. Thankfully Conroy got his chance to do the same.

“The Super-Batman of Planet X” is by far the best episode of this collection. Batman goes through a worm role (don’t ask, just go with it) and ends up on Zur-En-Arrh where he is not alone in being Batman. On Zur-En-Arrh writer Adam Beechen blended both the Batman and Superman myths together. Gothtropolis is protected by Batman who is human and has an alter ego of a mild manner reporter. Batman here is voiced by none other than Kevin Conroy. The twist on the story is that the Brave and the Bold Batman receives super powers from Zur-En-Arrh’s atmosphere. There are Lex Luthor and a Lois lane- type characters present, but what makes their appearance so much more appreciated is the actors portraying them. Clancy Brown and Dana Delany return for this episode. Mix that with the obvious homage to Max Fleisher’s Superman series and it just doesn’t get any better than this. Oh, the story was pretty damn good too.

Why is it that only two actors who have played Batman have stepped forward and voiced characters in Batman’s animated mythos? I’m not saying that I want George Clooney or Val Kilmer to step in and do the next animated series or DC Universe film. No. What I am saying is that it is time for Michael Keaton to return and add something, again, to the Batman.

Robert Trate writes two weekly columns for Mania the DVD Shopping Bag and the Toy Maniac. Follow Robert on Twitter for his for Geek ramblings, Cosplay photos and film criticisms. Robert also thought the line “Batman does not eat nachos” was one of the best from this series, if not ever.